Governor Jim Pillen (R-Nebraska) signed the executive order on Thursday. The order is a direct response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Medina v. Planned Parenthood, a case Nebraska Family Alliance cosigned an amicus brief for and has been closely following, allowing states to defund abortion providers of Medicaid funding.
“Nebraska is among the first states to act in the wake of this landmark decision. We applaud Governor Pillen and Attorney General Hilgers for their unwavering, pro-life leadership in protecting life and upholding our state’s pro-life values,” reads a released statement from of Nebraska Family Alliance.
According to Nebraska Public Media, the only other states who have similar executive orders are South Carolina and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the Kaiser Family Foundation has a map that shows which states have Medicaid, private, and/or marketplace limitations for abortion providers.
Nate Grasz, executive director of Nebraska Family Alliance, points to the order, calling it a good day in Nebraska.
“We have had both state and federal laws that prohibit tax dollars from directly financing abortion procedures,” says Grasz.
However, he explains that, at the same time, millions of taxpayer dollars every year have continued to flow to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood through Medicaid.
"They say that they won't use those funds for abortion, but it's going to the same organization, the same entity, and we know that for far too long taxpayers have been forced to subsidize the abortion industry," states Grasz.
With Governor Pillen's order, Grasz says that they're "finally putting a stop to it" in Nebraska.
"So, this is a great victory for life, and just one really important way that we can continue to build a culture of life and love in our state," concludes Grasz.
